Dead Men Tell No Tales
by ryu toshiya
Summary: What happens when a psycho maniac and a shattering secret cross paths? Chapter 3 A Drowning Man Will Clutch At a Straw.
1. Chapter 1

_I'm working on Road Block at the same time, but this idea came quite suddenly to me. So, I had to pen it down and share it with you guys. Enjoy. Please read and review!_

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**DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES**

Chapter One - The Perspective of a Psycho Maniac

Dead men tell no tales? It's true. Death silences any man. That's why I want him dead. He is the beholder of my many secrets - my darkest of secrets hidden in the depths of my past. But he unraveled the mystery of me and held my secrets captive with him. If he spills, he'll be dead in my hands and soon, I'll be dead in the hands of the law. That's the obvious fact - the way life goes. Everyone's punished for their wrongdoings. But I need to silence him, then, only my blood is worth shedding. This ugly world we live in may be hell for many. To me? It might be. There are some pleasures here that I would absolutely die to experience again. But, dying would mean an escape from these crazy people in this world. However, judging from what I've done, I'd say I'll be going a long way down for the sight of this man in pain is pleasurable to me. A helping hand is not what I offer but what I keep for me, myself and I. For this man, I do not only want to see him dead. I want to see him dying. I want to spit at his filthy, six-foot grave. Then, only I shall be in true bliss. But this little exultance will not last long. His death will send dozens of men rushing to my doorstep. They will fight against me till they get revenge. Revenge for what, you may ask? Their "occupation race".

This little secret that I have been holding on to for many years has been unraveled by this ingenious man whom I have known since my teenage days. Who would have ever thought this once-wild man could be such a professional now. Many women fall for him although he sports glasses. They sigh at his charming smile, they gasp at his brilliance and they faint at his physique. Through his inquisitive demeanor, he had learnt a lot about me. Too much for my liking. We met up and I voiced my disliked for his knowledge. He said if I had been more careful, it would not have had happened. With that, he left. I have not a single clue whether he has spilled on me or just shrugged it off. But all the same, death will put an end to my silent misery. Lived in peace I had not for twelve years for that was how long he knew it, although we were just kids back then.

Twelve years after the incident, he became a criminal terminator. My fear of him increased. Never was there a day or night where I was totally at peace. Every day, every hour, every minute and every second was a torture to live by. I tried my best to keep in hiding away from this frightening man. But, my efforts were futile. He went all around New York City, snuffling out clues for murder cases. He would be in every alley, every building, everywhere! It was pure torture to see him. Even to see the back of his head was nerve-shattering.

Now, if I cannot evade him, I might as well terminate him. His appearance irked me. All the goals in my life were shattered because of him. The fear in me drove me to psychotic pain. I became a nervous wreck and could not concentrate on my studies. The top student of the school had plummeted down to the ground, helpless. No one came to lend a helping hand. Not even him. When he will suffer, my hands will not help him, instead it will help to the collection of bruises. And then, pure joy will come flooding back into my cold heart. I will be released from these bondages that restrained me for twelve years. I will be sent into the light out of the darkness that kept me blinded. All this will happen when he dies. When Danny Messer dies.

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_So, how was that? Please read and review. Thanks._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of CSI: NY. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Chapter Two - After a Storm Comes a Calm

There will be something more pleasant after every painful experience.

A week after Louie Messer's funeral, Danny Messer seemed fine once again. He felt as though a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. At least, Louie was out of pain in a wonderful place. He greeted everyone as hewalked briskly down the corridorin a cheerful demeanor and his spirits were obviously lifted.

"Hey, Danny, wait up!" called a female voice behind him.

He turned around and saw Detective Stella Bonasera, curly hair and all. "Hey, Stella, what's up?"

"Here you go," she said, passing him a cream-coloured envelope.

Danny was puzzled. "What's this for?"

Stella bent closer to him and whispered, "Wedding invitation."

His eyes opened wide. "You and Mac? Married?" he laughed. "Oh, boy! Congrats to both of you!"

"Thanks, Danny."

……………………….

Detective Mac Taylor entered the lab with a young girl about Danny's age with reddish-brown hair and bright blue eyes that could compete with Flack's. "This young lady here is a trainee. She will learn how to work in a real lab with you guys."

"Hi…" they chorused.

Mac left the lab and left the trainee with Stella, Lindsay and Danny. "Hey, I'm Stella Bonasera. You are?"

"Charlotte Taylor," she answered.

"Hmm…Charlotte. Nice name," mused Danny.

"Thanks," she said.

Lindsay stretched out her hand and Matt shook it. "Lindsay Monroe."

Danny looked at her nametag. "Charlotte Mathias Taylor. You a relative of Mac?" He mused again, but this time, it went unheard by Charlotte. He got up from his perch on a chair. "Danny Messer. Welcome to the team."

She smiled brightly. "Thanks."

"Now, Charlotte, you could start by following me to a scene," said Stella, reaching for her kit. "You got yours with you?"

Charlotte lifted up her kit.

"Yeah, great," said Stella. "Let's go."

………………………..

"So, do you like New York?" asked Stella.

"Yeah, it's really nice. It'salways bustling with activity," said Charlotte, looking out of the car window as they sped past the buildings.

"Where are you from?"

"Dakota."

"Ah…the Mount Rushmore State," said Stella.

"No, no. I'm from North Dakota not south," she corrected.

"You're quite far from home, then."

"Yeah, but I don't really miss home. I guess I'm too caught up in the wave of New York City excitement," she said. "I heard that you're getting married to Mac. Congrats."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks," said Stella. "How did you know?"

"Earlier, while you were in the bathroom before leaving, I met up with Danny and we talked," she explained.

"Danny, Danny. Man, he's going to get it." Stella braked the car gently and shut the engine. "Well, here we are."

They got out of the car and headed to an alley which was cordoned by the police. Stella and Charlotte flashed their ID badges to a policeman and stepped under the line. There was a body of a young man lying in blood by an over-turned trash can. Rubbish was everywhere and the stench was unbearable. They made their way through the rubbish and headed to the body. The man was sprawled over the ground with wound in his chest that seemed to be a gunshot entry wound. Stella bent down beside the body and probe around. Matt went around the crime scene.

"There are some strangulation marks on his neck," she said, touching under the man's chin. "Chase Tennant. Charlotte. Charlotte?"

"Uh?" asked Charlotte, distractedly.

"Charlotte, what's the matter?" she asked, concerned.

"Oh, Stella, I was just looking at these blood stains. Looks like this is our secondary crime scene," she concluded.

Stella got up from her crouch by the body and followed Charlotte. They drew their revolvers and followed the blood trail. The trail brought them to a back door of a shop. Stella motioned to Charlotte to open the door. She nodded and pushed the door cautiously. The shop was quite dark, illuminated by only a swinging naked bulb. They shone their torch lights around. The shop lot was cluttered and was obviously out of business. Charlotte turned to her left and let out a soft gasp.

"Charlotte!" exclaimed Stella.

A dead body was hanging upside down from a piece of rope. Its face was exactly eye level. Charlotte stepped back from the body. Stella gasped silently, understanding the young trainee's shock. The body was badly mutilated. They could not define its gender. It looked as though someone played the piñata on the poor victim.

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"You okay?" asked Stella.

"Yeah, just a little shocked," replied Charlotte, wringing her hands. She looked at her feet, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Hey, there's nothing to be embarrassed. Honestly, I felt quite shocked myself," she admitted.

Charlotte smiled.

"Come on," said Stella. "Let's get back to the lab. We've got a dead buddy waiting for us."

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Stella saw Charlotte checking out on the unidentified dead body, her latex gloves all bloody. "So, what's our piñata's gender?" she asked.

"Male," answered Charlotte. "Take a look at this. There are some splinters of wood in his skin."

"Wood splinters. Could be from anything wooden," shrugged Stella.

"Baseball bats are made from either maple, hickory, bamboo or ash. But, hickory is rarely used because of its weight. Most wooden bats are made of ash," she said. "The splinters in his wounds were ash."

"We know our murder weapon. Now we have to find it."

Please review. Thanks. ryu


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry I took so long to update.

Chapter Three - A Drowning Man Will Clutch at a Straw

A man in a desperate position is bound to snatch at any chance he has in order to save himself.

"Hey, guys, I'm going. Bye," said Lindsay as she departed from the lab.

"Bye, Lindsay," said Danny.

"Bye," said Charlotte. She turned to the piece of green fiber under the lens of the microscope. Her eyes were stinging with fatigue and all she wanted to do was go home. She shut her eyes and leaned her elbows on the table.

"Charlotte," called Danny across the lab.

She jumped. She realized she had just fallen asleep. "Whoa." She looked up and saw that she was alone in the room with Danny. It was creepily quiet. "Yeah, Danny?"

"I'm done. If you're done, I'll ride you home," he offered.

"No, no, no, it's okay," she refused. "You go home first."

"Nah, it's almost midnight. Not safe for a young lady like youto be up and about by herself. I'll show you New York." His smiled and blue eyes twinkled. "So?"

She looked at him. She couldn't refuse his charming smile. "Okay, okay."

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Danny Messer and Charlotte Taylor stepped out of the building and became totally themselves again. Not Detective Danny Messer or Detective Charlotte Taylor. Just Danny, just Charlotte. They chatted happily about everything under the sun while walking towards the nearest subway station. They descended the stairs and paid for the train fare. The train would arrive in less than 5 minutes. They stood together waiting at the station. It was a cold night. Soon, the train arrived and the doors slid open.They boarded it immediately. There were already quite a few people in the train. A man in a professional business suit stood instead of sitting down. A young woman was seated down looking tired and weary, while her daughter pranced around. Her bags were placed carelessly on the floor and her hair was disheveled. Danny and Charlotte took a seat facing the station and the train took off.

Danny took off his glasses and started wiping it with his handkerchief. "How do you find your first day?" he asked.

"Great and gruesome," she replied.

He stopped wiping his glasses abruptly. "Gruesome?" he asked bewildered.

"I don't think you'd like to know," she said, colour rising up to her cheeks. "It's quite embarassing."

"All the more I'd like to know," he said. He put his glasses back onits comfortable perch on the bridge of his nose.

She scowled at him. "Nope. Forget it, Danny. I'm not telling you one little bit."

"Really? Please..." he asked.

She turned to look at him and was greeted by Danny with apuppy dog face. She laughed. "Okay, okay, fine. I will."

He laughed. "This always works."

"I'll remind myself not to fall for Danny Messer's puppy dog face anymore next time," she said. She related the incident at the shop lot to him.

He laughed. "That's…nice."

"Nice?" she asked incredulously. "A dead body hanging at eye-level, staring at you with its eyes open? I'd like to see your expression if you were there." She smirked.

"Yeah…"

The train was about to start, when it was jolted violently. All the passengers were thrown off-balance. Suddenly, a shot rang out and the man grabbed his chest. He crumpled to the ground. The bedraggled woman screamed.

"It's a gun shot," thought Danny and Charlotte.

"Everybody, get down!" he shouted. He wrapped his arm around Charlotte's chest and pulled her down with him. Screams rang out in the train and subway.

A man was shooting wildly at the train. The glass panes were shattered. Glass was everywhere. On the floor, on the seats. The man in the business suit was dead. A pool of blood formed under his prostrate form. The bullet had penetrated his heart.

Charlotte lifted her head a little to see if everyone was alright. There was a little girl standing up. She was in a vulnerable situation because she was tall enough to get hit in the head. Her mother kneeled on the floor, persuading her daughter to get down, but the girl was paralyzed with fear. Charlotte got up slowly.

"Charlotte!" called Danny. "What are you doing?"

"The little girl won't get down," she said, determined. "I'm going."

"Charl!" he cried.

She got on her knees and went to the little girl. The shooting ceased.

"Hey, what's your name?" she asked gently. She heard Danny getting to her side.

"Laurie," the little girl said in a small, timid voice.

"Okay, Laurie, I'm Detective Messer and she's Detective Taylor. It's not very safe here, so, I want you now to get down and go to your mom. You got it?" he asked.

"You're cops?" Laurie asked.

"Yeah, sort of," Charlotte said. She turned her head to look at the shooter. She gasped. He was aiming his gun directly at three of them. "Down!"

She pushed the little girl to her mother and Danny went down. Charlotte turned to get down. She felt a sharp pain in her right arm. She grabbed it and fell down beside Danny. She lay on the floor beside Danny, holding her arm. She winced in pain. She took away her hand. It was covered with blood.

"Charl, are you oka- oh, no!" exclaimed Danny when he saw her wound. He pulled her hand aside and took a closer look at it. "Don't worry, okay? It's just a graze." He patted her arm comfortingly.

The man started shooting again. Bullets rained down on the trained. Laurie shut her ears and cried. Charlotte dug her hand into her pocket and drew her cell phone out. She flicked it open and passed it to Danny. "Call Mac."

He took the now-bloodied cell phone and dialed Mac's number. "Mac, get to the 28th St. Station now. There's a crazy guy shooting at the train. Charlotte's injured and a man's dead."

"What?" called Mac. "I can't hear you."

Danny shouted over the racket created by the gun shots. "Get to 28th St. Station now. There's a maniac shooting at the train. Charlotte's injured and one guy's dead."

"I'm on my way, Danny."

Danny flicked the cell phone shut and pocketed it. "You okay?" he asked Charlotte.

"If I can still smile, I'm fine," she said and smiled.

"Great."

"So, this is what happens in New York subways?" she asked jokingly.

"Nah, don't think so…first time it happened to me."

The man still continued to shoot at the train, particularly showering the middle where they were. Laurie's cries were getting louder and louder. It was as if she was competing against the sound of the shots. A few minutes passed, and yet Mac had not arrived. They felt very worried.The mystery shooter stopped shooting for sometime. Danny got up. "I'm going to see if he's is there."

"Careful," cautioned Charlotte.

He stepped cautiously on the shattered glass and glanced out of the window. The shooter was gone. People who were lying on the station floor began to rise. Some did not. They were dead. The floor of the station was covered with blood. It was a gruesome sight. Men, women; young, old; tall, short; fat, thin, all fell prey to the man's violence. Seconds later, Mac and a team of policemen arrived, but the shooter had fled from the scene a long time ago. Paramedics were waiting outside the station.

"Danny?" asked Mac, urgently.He stepped into the train, cautiously.The shattered glass crunched underfoot. What if Charlotte was _nyawa-nyawa ikan _(a Malay idiom that means half-dead or almost dying)? Or maybe a huge massacre had occured in thesmall confinement of the train? Maybe the wole inside of the train was full of dead bodies - including Danny's and Charlotte's. He did not know what to expect.

He saw Dannybeside Charlotte. Her back was propped against a seat. She held her arm. She was covered with blood, smears from her bloodied hand. Danny's shirt was slightly stained too.Both of themlooked up immediately when they heard the crunch of the glass. Somehow, they had expected the shooter to return. To their relief, it was just Mac.

"Danny, how is she?" asked Mac.

Danny glanced at her. "Just a graze. She'll be fine."

I used the term _nyawa-nyawa ikan_ here because I actually live in Malaysia. I have never ever went out of the peninsula, so, I've never been to America. Therefore, I don't know places in New York. But for the 28th St. Station, I checked on the net and found that it was somewhere near the Empire State Building which is always filmed in the skylines in CSI:NY. So, I assume that the lab is nearby the building. If I am wrong, please correct me and guide me as I get along with this story. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Please review. ryu


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